1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to material handling devices and is more particularly concerned with parts handling devices used in the small parts industry, which may be mounted on and conveyed by a forklift type truck.
2. Prior Art
In the distribution and shipping of small parts, it is frequently necessary to transfer quantities of small parts such as nails, bits, screws, etc. from large containers to smaller containers to fill orders for purchasers of those parts or for other similar purposes. In the past, transfer of the parts has been carried out by the manual operation of an individual without using any device specifically designed to assist such distribution. The individual would lift out the parts necessary for the job and transfer them to the smaller container. The larger container might be carried to the smaller container by a forklift type truck. This procedure is inefficient and may be difficult to perform because of the weight and the shape of the small parts.
Material handling containers heretofore known in the art have inherent in their structure several disadvantages which have reduced their efficiency. The prior art devices have not been specifically designed to be used as small parts handlers. Many of them have been useful only for trash removal. For example, many of the material handling containers employ a dumping container which empties the entire contents within the container in a dump-truck type manner without any precise control on the rate of flow of the material contained within. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,881,617, 3,877,593, 3,101,152, and 3,656,643.
Further, the prior art devices have used methods for tilting the container which require special construction of both the container and the receiving box. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,405,278, a container for transporting trash is constructed with a device attached to a dump box which frequently will interact with a specially constructed dumping leg attached to the container to tilt the container and empty the material into the dump box. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,270,900, a lever means is attached to the frame of the container which acts against the side of a dump box to elevate the container and discharge the material contained within the container. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,334,820, the method of dumping the material is a system of cables and stanchions having one or more pulleys attached to the container.
Each of these prior art devices requires a special adaptation apparatus connected to the dump box and/or to the container. These prior art devices are not easily adaptable to the handling of small parts since the small parts must be deposited into shipping boxes which are cheap to construct, nonreusable, and of a standard size, shape and construction.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a novel parts handler which will allow for the accurate and easy loading of small parts into boxes for shipping.
A further object of this invention is to provide a novel means for controlling the flow of the parts from a parts handler into the shipping boxes.
Another object of the device is to provide a novel parts handler which is easily transportable by a forklift type truck.
Another object of the invention is to allow for the controlled tilting of a parts handler by means of a hydraulic pressure jack contained and attached to the frame of the parts handler.
Another object of the device is to provide a simple, efficient parts handler that is inexpensive to build, is reusable and is stackable.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings in which a selected example of the construction is set forth to illustrate the invention.